Breaking the habit
by Beaverhausen
Summary: Draco and Harry slash. Set in their sixth year, in which Draco asks Harry to a ball that changes everything.
1. 1

_Breaking the habit_

_**Chapter one**_

**_Sep. 1st 1996_**

_When I left the train and went back to Hogwarts, I saw Him. Harry._

_He looks pretty damn good this year, indeed he does._

_But that will not, obviously, change anything. He's after all my nemesis._

_And I'm going to pick on him and his stupid little friends more this year than I've ever done before, just to prove that._

_How DARE he look better than me!_

Draco stopped his writing for a moment just to check himself in the mirror. He was pleased to see that though his features weren't particularly masculine, his face was still beautifully pale and his eyes were both silver and blue at the same time.

He ran a hand through his silver-blonde hair and sighed. 'That stupid ... annoying little ... Wonderboy! Thinks he's so good just because he defeated that bloody Voldemort. God, I hate him!' he spat out in the air. Thank god he was all alone in the boys' dormitories; the rest of them were downstairs talking about god knew what and Draco didn't exactly feel like participating in it. No, he'd rather just sit here, in his bed, writing in his diary. Perhaps it was a bit ... girlish writing your diary, but Draco didn't care. He didn't know what else to do to express his anger over that Harry _fucking_ Potter.

I hate him! Draco thought.

Harry lay on his four-poster bed in the dormitory. He was so tired, didn't feel like doing anything but rest. He was alone in there because the other boys were downstairs and he had told them not to disturb him, and they wouldn't.

Harry didn't think about anything in particular, but all of a sudden his mind somehow wandered off and he started thinking about ... Malfoy.

He hadn't talked to the boy yet; he actually had tried to avoid him and his idiotic bodyguards.

Despite the fact that he hadn't talked to him, he had still noticed the way Malfoy looked. His silver-blonde hair had grown a bit over the summer so it went down to his shoulders, making him look a bit older. And although Harry obviously wouldn't admit it aloud, he found Malfoy rather ... handsome.

Not in _that _sort of way, of course! But it was undeniable; the boy wasn't ugly and he knew that perfectly well himself. Every time Malfoy passed by some third-year girls, they would start giggling uncontrollably and look at him as if he were some sex-god.

Of course, loads of girls looked at Harry too; his emerald eyes and black, untidy hair definitely draw attention to him. And then, the fact that he was the Boy Who Lived didn't exactly make it worse.

But it didn't matter how bloody handsome Malfoy was, Harry still loathed the piece of shit and didn't want to put his eyes on him; for all he cared, he might as well just go and die.

I hate him! Harry thought.

The day after they'd arrived at Hogwarts, Harry went to the Great Hall to eat breakfast early in the morning. Nobody was there except for some older students and they didn't really care about him. And so he sat down and tried to eat, but he was obviously too tired; he couldn't get one piece down his throat. He gave up the thought of eating at all and went outside instead.

It was only in the beginning of September, but it was already getting chilly outside. Harry wrapped his robes closer around him, but it didn't exactly help. And suddenly he heard a voice from behind him.

'Hey, Potter! Here without your stupid Weasel and Mudblood-friends, are you?'

Harry turned around to face Draco Malfoy.

'What do you want?' he hissed. 'That's rich coming from you, you're obviously not surrounded buy those bodyguards of yours!'

Malfoy smirked.

'You think they're my bodyguards, do you?' He looked into those green eyes and thought that he wanted to kill Potter.

'Yeah, I do, seeing you can't even talk to me without them around. What, scared I'll beat you up, are you?' said Harry and looked into Malfoy's eyes. If only I had my wand, Harry thought. Then again ... I can always use my hands.

'I doubt you could ever succeed with such a thing. I am much stronger than you are.' Malfoy actually didn't doubt that Potter could beat him up; after all, he wasn't that feeble 11-year old anymore, and Draco had noticed the muscles on his arms. But he didn't say that, of course.

'Oh yeah? Wanna make a bet? I tell you what: let's measure our powers in a duel. How 'bout that?' Harry stared into Malfoy's eyes, trying to make him insecure. But Draco just laughed and said: 'Yeah, let's do that! Just name the place and time and I'll be there!'

Actually, they had been in a duel before, in their second year when their Defence Against the Dark Arts-teacher Gilderoy Lockhart had started a Duelling-club to prevent students from getting killed by a monster (a Basilisk, in fact, which Harry later killed). And Draco had used a spell on Harry, which made a snake coming out from his wand. But Harry wasn't scared; he just hissed and the snake didn't touch him (that's how he found out that he was a Parsel-mouth).

And then of course, there was one time in their first year when Draco had challenged Harry to a duel, but he hadn't shown up. That blasted coward, Harry thought when remembering that.

'Alright,' he said. 'Midnight, Forbidden Forest.'

'The Forest?' Draco blurted before he could stop himself. 'But –'

'What, scared of werewolves are you?' Harry interrupted him. 'Either you come or not.'

'Fine,' Draco said. 'But – we won't bring anyone with us, no back-up. Just you and me, Potter.'

'Fine with me. I'll see you then.' And with those words, Harry left Draco and went back to the castle.

'I'll ruddy show you,' he muttered on his way back. 'You just wait.'


	2. 2

_**Chapter two**_

As soon as Harry found Ron and Hermione he told them about the Duel.

'I bet he won't show up, just like in our first year!' Ron immediately said.

'Ron, that was ages ago,' Hermione said and turned to Harry: 'I bet he's not as scared of you now. Do you want us to come with you?'

'No,' Harry replied. 'It's just gonna be him and me. And I'll beat the crap out of him!'

The day seemed to pass by really slowly, and as Harry finally got out of bed at midnight he actually started feeling a bit nervous. What if Malfoy beat him? He'd surely hear about that for ages; Malfoy would tease him about it as soon as he got the chance, Harry was sure of it.

Cheer up, he thought. You'll win this. You've got your wand so there should be no problems.

As he quietly dressed himself, Ron woke up.

'You're leaving now?' he asked him, heavy with sleep.

'Yeah,' Harry whispered.

'You sure I shouldn't go with you?' Ron said. 'What if –'

'I'm okay. Go back to sleep.'

'Good luck then.' And Harry could hear Ron snoring as he walked out of the dormitory, heading towards the Forest.

As he came closer to the Forest, he felt scared. Not because of Malfoy, but the dangerous beasts that hid in the dark shadows of the Forest. He didn't go inside it, just waited close to Hagrid's cottage. Just in case ...

And then, all of a sudden, somebody put a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry jumped in the air and turned around quickly. At the sight of Malfoy he breathed with relief.

'Jeez, Malfoy! You scared the hell out of me!' he said angrily.

'I'm glad,' Malfoy sneered. 'Now, shall we start?'

He and Harry positioned and got their wands out. They bowed and Draco was the first to cast a spell.

'Rictusempra!' he screamed. Harry fell to the ground and felt invisible hands tickling him all over his body. He laughed till it vanished. Then he quickly stood up and yelled:

'Expelliarmus!' Perhaps not a charm you'd use to hurt, but it worked; Draco's wand fell to the ground and Harry, with his good reflexes, ran to the spot and picked it up.

He backed a bit and said, panting: 'See now? I've got your wand. You can't use any spells on me. How's that?'

But Draco just walked towards him and said quietly: 'Give me my wand, Potter.'

'Yeah, like I'd do such a stupid thing!' For a moment they just glared at each other and then Draco finally said:

'Fine. Don't give it to me.' And he just walked away, leaving Harry there, his mouth open in surprise.

'Wait!' he called. Draco turned around. 'Here! Come and get your bloody wand, what use do I have for it anyway!' Without saying anything, Draco walked back and fetched his wand. And before Harry could even say "potato", Draco cast a spell on him. Harry fell to the ground, unable to move.

Draco turned him so that his belly faced the ground, and then held up Harry's arms behind his back. 'You stupid idiot,' he hissed in his ear. 'You shouldn't have given it to me. I'm after all a Slytherin, not a credulous and naive Gryffindor.' And then he rose to his feet. 'I won.' He smirked. 'What a surprise.' And then he walked away, leaving Harry on the ground.


	3. 3

_**Chapter three**_

**_Sep. 3rd 1996 _**

_I won over that pathetic loser. It felt so great. But still, I'm quite surprised I managed to get my wand back. It went easily. I just told him to give it back, and then I got it. Ha, he probably thought I'd just walk away after that._

_But no, I actually used my wand. Silly idiot. Well, I've got to go now; we've got Potions. Can't wait to see Potter ... _

Draco closed his diary and put it away. He hid it in his trunk and locked it thoroughly.

As he walked to his favourite class with his favourite teacher Professor Snape, he remembered that they were starting on a lot more difficult potions this year; he looked forward to it.

'I just hope that he won't make us work with Gryffindor,' he muttered to himself. Not only had Professor Snape told them about the difficult potions; he had threatened to mixture the Slytherins and the Gryffindors so that they actually had to work with each other. I'm not sure I can forgive him if I'll have to work with that Potter, Draco thought.

As he entered the classroom he noticed he was the only one there; it was only five past nine and the lesson didn't start until nine fifteen.

Draco sighed and sat down on a seat. Lately, he'd been more alone than ever. He always used to hang out with Crabbe and Goyle, not that they were much company, but now he just wanted to be left alone. It suited him just fine.

And all of a sudden, somebody came in. Potter.

As Draco looked up and Harry noticed him, he froze.

'What the fuck are you doing here?' Harry asked suspiciously.

'I'm having Potions, you idiot,' Draco replied irritably. 'Slept well tonight? Or did you have nightmares? It must've been really traumatic having me sneaking up behind you ...' Draco smirked.

'You just shut up.' Harry felt his anger rising within him. 'You know that if I hadn't given your fucking wand back, you wouldn't have won!' Draco was just about to answer this when Snape came inside.

'Already here, Draco?' he said softly and smiled at the Slytherin. When turning to Harry, his smile faded and turned into a grimace. 'And Potter. How nice.' Harry knew better than to say anything rude to Professor Snape so he just stayed quiet and went to his own seat. Soon, the whole classroom was filled with students from both Slytherin and Gryffindor, and the lesson continued like usual. Snape talked about some potion and said to read the instructions carefully, otherwise you might get swollen, lose a finger or something else. Harry tried his best and the potion looked absolutely fine as he bottled it and gave it to Professor Snape, who inspected it and then, to Harry's great surprise, didn't say anything. Harry assumed this meant he had nothing bad to say about it so he just went back to his seat and waited till everyone else was done.

'Students,' Professor Snape said as he had taken a look at everyone's potions and the pupils were seated. 'I must admit that this class went on very well, and that almost everyone,' he glanced at Neville who looked nervous, 'managed to make their potions without spilling anything or adding the wrong ingredients.' He paused, looked around at the class and continued, 'Of course, I don't expect this to happen every time because you are all a bunch of know-nothing idiots,' he meant the Gryffindors, 'but I can always hope. Class dismissed.'

Harry sighed with relief and he, Ron and Hermione got up and walked out the door.

'What did he say about your potions?' Hermione asked, clearly wanting to tell them what he'd said about hers, but found it more polite to ask them first.

'Nothing,' said Harry truthfully. 'I guess that meant it was okay.' Ron looked gloomy.

'He said that my potion reminded him of some other potion which gives you big blisters all over your body, and that maybe he should try it on me just to see if I had accidentally made that one instead of the one we were supposed to make,' he said and took a deep breath when finished. Hermione looked like she was about to burst when she said, 'Well, I don't know about you guys, but that seems quite friendly coming from old Snape.'

'Yes,' said Harry, 'so, what did he say about yours?' Hermione looked extraordinary pleased with herself as she told them.

'He said that, although very reluctantly, he had to admit I was one of his best students, despite the fact that I am a Gryffindor. So he asked me if I had any plans continuing with Potions after Hogwarts, and if I did, he would support me whole-heartedly!' Hermione beamed at them and Harry and Ron grinned at her.

'Wow,' Ron said. 'So now I assume we can't say anything bad about him just because he likes what you do!'

'Don't be silly, Ron,' Hermione said but couldn't help but smile. 'Just because I'm one of his _best students_ doesn't mean I like the git.' But as she, Harry and Ron walked up to the Gryffindor tower, both Harry and Ron knew that wasn't true.


	4. 4

_**Chapter four**_

**_Sep. 4th 1996_**

_Today nothing special happened. We had Defence Against the Dark Arts, some new teacher whose name is Professor Kirkby, a complete idiot with a completely idiotic name, and we had other subjects too of course. We had Divination with that Centaur, Firenze, and I guess it was alright although we just lay on the floor staring up at the sky, watching the stars while he talked about humans and their ability to fool themselves to think that they can actually foresee stuff. Good point. Humans can't look in the future! That Trelawney-person was just a complete foney with nothing better to do. But, although today was just as boring as usual, Dumbledore had some very interesting news to announce at dinner. We're going to have a ball. Again! _

_Last time we had it was in my fourth year, and it was absolutely worthless. Horrible music, horrible date (Pansy Parkinson, she thinks I'm in love with her. No way!) and just utterly boring. Maybe this year, it will be much better. I know whom I want as a date ..._

Draco put his quill and ink away. He thought about the ball. A date. He needed a date. As soon as Dumbledore had mentioned the word "ball", Pansy Parkinson had immediately looked at Draco but he just pretended not to have noticed. He knew the girl would ask him afterwards, so as soon as Dumbledore's little speech was over, he hurried back to the dungeons. He did _not _want to have Pansy Parkinson hanging after him like some bee to a jar of honey.

No, this year, it would definitely be someone else. A boy. And not just any boy, but the Boy Who Lived. Harry Potter.

But how do I get him to agree to a date? Draco thought. I can't just walk up to him and ask ... he'll have the Weasel and the Mudblood hanging around him, and I don't want them to hear.

Draco was abruptly awakened from his thoughts as Crabbe gave a loud snore next to him. Draco flickered. How late is it? he thought. Have I been sitting here all evening? I'd better get to sleep ... Yawning, Draco put his diary in his trunk, went back to bed and crawled into it. Soon, he was fast asleep. He dreamt about the ball. He was dancing ... he held someone's hand ... he looked into a pair of emerald green, beautiful eyes ... _Harry_ ...

As he woke up next day, and remembered the dream, a twisted smile appeared on his lips.

If only you knew, Potter, he thought and got dressed.

* * *

Harry walked into the Great Hall together with Ron and Hermione. The other two were bickering about something but Harry didn't listen. He was thinking about the ball that Dumbledore had mentioned the previous day. He wasn't sure he wanted to go. He had had one experience thus far, and thinking back at it didn't exactly make him smile.

His date, Parvati Patil, had wanted to dance and talk and do all those other things Harry could assume one did at a ball, but Harry had been busy casting glances over at Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw seeker he'd had a crush on. He had actually asked her to the ball but she had looked extremely sorry and apologetic as she explained to him that Cedric Diggory (Hufflepuff seeker, killed by Voldemort the very same year) had already asked her, and she had said yes.

So, Harry thought, maybe I could just sit there and watch everyone dance ... and have a good time and ... He sighed. It didn't seem that fun, truth be told. But if he actually _did _go, whom would he ask? He didn't know anyone he could actually consider going to the ball with, except for Hermione, but Harry was sure Ron would ask her, and without doubt, she'd say yes. Because although Ron and Hermione did indeed wrangle a lot, it was so obvious they had a thing for each other. And yet, the problem remained – _who _would want to go with Harry?

As Harry, Ron and Hermione sat down to have breakfast, Harry was still thinking about the ball when suddenly somebody tapped his shoulder. He turned round to see who it was.

Malfoy.

'And what do _you _want?' he snapped automatically. Ron and Hermione immediately looked up, and so did the rest of the Gryffindors. Malfoy sneered at them but didn't say anything, only bent down and whispered in Harry's ear:

'I want to talk to you.' Harry looked at him, surprised.

'What?' he said dumbly. Draco sighed. Gryffindors may be brave, he thought, but they are really not particularly intelligent.

'I said,' he repeated, 'that I want to talk to you.' Harry turned to Ron and Hermione who looked just as surprised as he did. Why did Malfoy want to talk to him?

'Why you little ferret,' said Harry, remembering he had to be rude. 'Fun as it sounds, I'm afraid I have better things to do than talking to some blown-up idiotic little Slytherin. I hate you, remember?' The other Gryffindors laughed, but as Harry noticed the slightly hurt expression on Malfoy's face, he actually regretted saying it.

'Fine!' Draco snarled and walked away proudly, his head held high.

Later, as Harry, Ron and Hermione walked to their first lesson, Harry was still thinking about what had happened earlier. He wanted to tell Ron, but he'd probably just wave it away and say that Malfoy had deserved it. So, instead, he kept quiet and tried to focus on what Professor Flitwick said. It didn't go that well. Several times, Hermione had to wave her hand in front of Harry to wake him up from his thoughts, and with a worried face she asked, 'Are you alright?' Harry just nodded and gave a small but not so convincing smile; Hermione still looked worried when Harry assured her everything was fine. It was definitely not. Why did he all of a sudden care about Malfoy? Before, he could spit out the most insulting things and not feel the tiniest bit sorry for the Slytherin; now, he actually thought he was downright mean. Why?

**_

* * *

_**

**_Sep. 5th1996 _**

_Oh my god. I actually went over to the Gryffindor-table and asked Potter if I could have a word with him. I mean, it's not like I'd ruddy ask him to the dance there and then, right in front of all the others. No, I just politely said I wanted to talk to him – and he threw it right back in my face! But of course, what else can one expect from a Gryffindor? _

_But I still don't understand _why _I did it! How can I be so stupid? This was honestly one of the most embarrassing things I've ever done. And on top of it all, he just _had _to call me 'ferret'. Ruddy unbelievable. Although, he kind of looked as if he ... felt sorry for me or something. Like he didn't mean it. Oh, I don't know! Probably just wishful thinking. Anyway, I have to go. Lunch-time, you see, and I just want to eat and then get the hell out of there; I don't think having Potter just a few tables away will be that pleasant. _

Draco walked to the Great Hall, hoping not to meet Potter and his fellows. But of course they just had to be wherever he was. As he walked in, he saw them sitting by the Gryffindor-table.

He quickly ate his dinner, not even looking up from the plate. When finished, he checked his schedule and decided that some fresh air would do him good; he had about 50 minutes until next lesson started, and this way, he'd probably not run into Potter.

He went outside and tucked his hands in his pockets. It was really cold and he had no gloves and no scarf; only his robes and they weren't particularly warming. But he'd rather stand out here than be inside; the risk of bumping into Potter was too big.

He was just about to walk back inside (his hands were turning into blocks of ice) when he heard a voice calling his name.

'Malfoy!' someone yelled. Draco turned round, hoping it wasn't ...

'Hey, Malfoy!' Potter repeated. Draco sighed. Can't anyone _ever_ leave you alone in this place?

'What do you want?' he grunted.

'I think the question is,' Harry said as he got closer, 'what did _you _want?' Draco saw that Harry's raven hair was all tousled and his cheeks were rosy, making him look ... cute.

'Well,' said Malfoy, 'I wanted to ask you something. But ...' He didn't dare continue. To ask Harry to the ball, as his date, was totally and utterly insane. But still ... what _if _...

'Yes?' Harry said, sounding curious.

Alright ... here goes nothing, Draco thought and quickly said:

'Iwantedtoaskyoutotheball.' There, it was done! He held his breath.

'Pardon me?' Harry said. 'Could you ...?'

Draco sighed irritably. 'I said, do you want to be my date for the ball?' Harry stared at him.

'You're kidding, right?' he said sceptically.

Malfoy smiled (or well, it was supposed to be a smile, but because of the cold that made his lips freeze, it mostly looked like a grimace) patiently.

'No,' he said calmly. 'I'm not kidding. Now, will you be my date or not? Please hurry up with the answer, I'm ruddy freezing my arse off here!' Draco may have looked calm, but inside his heart was beating incredibly fast against his ribs. What if Harry said no, and then made fun of him?

'Er ...' said Harry. What was he going to say? Did Draco Malfoy, son of a Deatheater, actually ask him, Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, to a ball? How do you respond such a thing?

'Look,' said Draco, interrupting Harry's thoughts, 'I'm seriously very cold, so I suggest you just think about it and then give me your answer later, okay? Just ... just don't tell Weasley and Granger, please? I don't think I can ...' His voice trailed off, and not waiting for Harry to say something, he hurried back towards the castle.

Harry, who had just stood there saying nothing, slowly realised what had just happened. His brain wasn't working that well, but finally it somehow decided he also should go back.

As he had gotten inside the castle, Ron and Hermione immediately ran up to him. Harry had told them he was going to go look for Malfoy, and Ron and Hermione said they'd wait for him.

'So?' Ron breathed. 'What did he want? Did you find him?'

'Yes,' Harry said slowly. 'I did ... find him.' Hermione sighed.

'And what did he say?' she asked irritably. 'Tell us, Harry!' At first, Harry thought he wouldn't say anything; Malfoy clearly didn't want him to, but then he changed his mind. Ron and Hermione were his best friends, and in a situation like this, he just _had _to tell them and ask for their advice. So, slowly, he began to explain what Malfoy had said. When finished, Ron said:

'Malfoy? Asked you to the ball? What the – Harry – why?' Hermione seemed to be as bewildered as Ron; she didn't say anything, only watched Harry as he nodded.

'Yup,' he said. 'Draco Malfoy asked me to the ball.' They stood silently for a few minutes, and then finally, Hermione spoke.

'I think you should say yes,' she said.

'What!' Harry and Ron exclaimed simultaneously.

'Well,' said Hermione, not letting them change her mind, 'think about it, Harry! This is the perfect opportunity for you to finally make friends with him!' Ron just stared at her.

'Why would Harry want to make friends with _him_?' he spat. 'That bloody ferret – I swear, he's just fooling around with you! If you walk into the Great Hall right now, you'll find him there laughing his arse off together with his disgusting little Slytherin –'

Hermione interrupted him.

'No, you willnot, Harry,' she said firmly and glared at Ron. 'Harry, we saw him coming in! He walked in and then ran, straight down to the dungeons. This is no joke, Harry.'

Harry's mind was filled with thoughts. He, Ron and Hermione made their way to the next lesson; Ron and Hermione were arguing as usual, while he thought about it all. Should he say yes? What would happen if he did? Would they be friends, was that what Malfoy wanted?

Harry was so unconcentrated during the lesson, he didn't notice they had ended until Hermione pulled his arm and said, 'Harry! Wake up, lesson's over!' They went to the Gryffindor common room and Harry spent the rest of the day thinking about Malfoy.

He just couldn't understand it. _Why _would Malfoy want to Harry to be his date?

* * *

This chapter was a bit longer.. hope you liked it :) I noticed I use the word 'idiotic' quite often.. hmm.. anywayza, plz review.


	5. 5

_**Chapter five**_

Draco was pacing back and forth in the Slytherin common room. It was already passed midnight, but he just couldn't go to sleep. He was thinking about Potter. The reaction he had received had been a bit like Draco had pictured it; Harry had just stood there, completely mute and with a shocked expression on his face. But still, Draco had thought he'd at least say _something_.

'Shit,' Draco said to himself. 'Bloody, fucking, god-damned _shit_!' He was all alone in the common room; all the other Slytherins had gone to bed and it was a good thing they had; he'd be getting a lot of questions about his non-presence at the lessons earlier, and quite frankly, he just couldn't deal with it. After he had gotten back to the castle, he had headed straight for the dungeons.

He noticed Weasley and Granger as he came in; they were standing there talking about something, but he didn't bother to say something to them. They probably knew Harry had gone after him.

No, he just ran and ran as fast as he could until he had reached the secret passageway which lead to the Slytherin common room. Once inside, he went up to the boys' dormitories and lay down on his bed. He didn't know for how long he had been lying there when suddenly, the door was opened and Blaise Zabini came in. He had asked him where he had been and Draco had snapped at him that it was none of his business. Blaise had only nodded and then he went down again, leaving Draco alone.

Draco somewhat regretted being so sulky towards the other boy; they were actually quite good friends and he didn't like having quarrels, but done was done.

Finally, he decided he was getting tired so he stopped pacing and dragged himself up to the dormitories. When he got inside he noticed they were all fast asleep – except for Blaise.

'Hey,' he whispered. Slowly, he got his clothes off (not his underpants of course) and crawled into bed.

'Where were you?' Blaise asked silently. 'I don't mean to meddle or anything, but you know ... I was worried when you didn't show up at our classes.'

'Yeah, I know,' Draco replied. 'Sorry I snapped at you before. It's just that ... well, something happened and ...'

'You don't want to talk about it?' Blaise said helpfully. Draco nodded.

'It's okay,' Blaise said and, although it was very dark, Draco knew he was smiling.

'Well,' he continued. 'Good night.'

'Good night,' Draco said and yawned. Silently, he wondered why Blaise was in Slytherin. He was not at all greedy, mean and selfish, qualities typical for a Slytherin – he was kind, caring and always a good friend no matter what. Ah well, Draco thought before falling asleep, I guess there's a little devil deep inside all of us.

When Draco woke up next day, he didn't think about what had happened the previous day; it was too embarrassing. As he came down to the common room, Blaise was waiting for him.

'Hi,' he said. 'Slept well?'

'Yeah, I guess so,' Draco replied. 'And you?'

'Slept like a baby,' Blaise grinned. 'You ready to go?' Draco nodded, and together they walked up to the Great Hall. Draco saw that Harry and his mates hadn't come yet, so he ate without problems, and he and Blaise talked a lot, laughed at something and when they had finished, they got up. But as they had reached the door and were just about to round a corner, Draco bounced into someone.

'Hey, watch it!' Potter said and stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed whom he had bumped into. 'Oh ...' he said and watched Draco with hesitance.

'Um, sorry,' Draco said and grabbed Blaise by the arm. 'Come on,' he said and they quickly walked away.

'What just happened there?' Blaise asked. Draco blushed and shrugged.

'I don't know,' he said. But Blaise didn't believe him.

'Hang on,' he said and stopped. 'Does that Potter have something to do with you not showing up yesterday?' he asked. Draco stopped, too.

'No,' he lied. Looking away, he continued, 'Why?'

'Well, it's quite obvious, isn't it?' Blaise said, forcing Draco to look at him.

'What do you mean?' Draco asked.

'My god, Draco! Didn't you notice the tension between you guys? It was like ... I don't know... hey, Draco, where are you going?'The other Slytherinhad started to walk again.

'Draco, wait!' Blaise put a hand on his shoulder. 'Look, I'm sorry, but this is all very weird. You've been enemies for six years, and now suddenly, you act like two people in love!' Now _this_ made Draco turn round.

'Say what?' He watched Blaise suspiciously. Could he know ...? No, that's ridiculous. The only way he could find out was if he had read Draco's diary.

'It's true, Draco,' Blaise said carefully. 'I've seen you watching him, Draco.'

'What?' Draco said, staring at him. 'I haven't ... I don't ... what do you mean?'

'Well, in the beginning, it was like you watched him with hatred ... like you wanted to kill him or something,' Blaise explained, 'but now, lately, it's like you watch him ... with insecurity. Or something,' he added. But Draco didn't understand. Actually, he knew somewhere Blaise was right;

he used to watch Potter a lot, sitting with his friends talking and laughing while he, Draco, sat mostly alone. He didn't know how, but after the duel with the Gryffindor, Draco had started thinking about him differently ... and somewhere in his mind, the idea of asking Harry to the ball had come up. Draco assumed he wanted to be friends with Harry; it was tiring having to say insulting things whenever he showed up, he was running out of lines.

And it wasn't until now that Draco realised how this whole thing might come off. What if people actually thought he was _in love _with Potter? That was definitely _not _the case, no matter what Blaise might say.

'We're not in love,' he snapped. 'I just ... okay, fine, I'll tell you why I didn't show up the other day. It was because _I_, asked _him_, to be my date for the ball, alright? I somehow thought it would be a good thing; that we might be friends or something. There you go, why don't you just start laughing at me, I know it's what you want to do!' Draco was now breathing heavily; Blaise stared at him and slowly shook his head.

'Draco ...' he said. 'I don't think it's stupid. It's actually a quite, er, good idea, I think ...'

Draco looked at him. 'Really?' he said, breathing going back to normal.

'Yes, of course!' Blaise smiled. 'I've always thought it's been a bit ... childish of you to act they way you have, and I haven't quite understood why you've done it either.'

Draco nodded. 'I guess you're right,' he said.

* * *

'Harry, I think you should say yes,' Hermione said for the millionth time. 'I know you won't be the best of friends, but this might be a start. Please?' Harry didn't answer. He wasn't even sure Draco had been serious; they hadn't talked to each other about it yet and besides, he had used the word 'date', like they'd go as a couple or something. And they were _not _a couple. 

'I don't know, Herm,' he said. 'I mean, okay, so we might be friends, but it would be so awkward. If we showed up together and you know ... when you're at a ball, you have to _dance _with your partner ... don't you?' he added, not sure of it. He hadn't danced with his partner on the Yule Ball, so why would he have to do it now?

'Harry,' Hermione sighed. 'Of _course_ you don't have to dance, it's voluntarily.'

They were sitting in the library, talking quietly. Ron wasn't with them; he had Quidditch practice and wouldn't be back for some time. Harry was supposed to be there as well, but he had told Angelina Johnson, the captain, that he didn't feel so well. Harry wasn't lying completely; he had felt a bit ill in the morning and it hadn't gotten worse, but definitely not better either.

'Fine,' Harry finally said. 'I'll say yes.' Hermione gave a little squeak of excitement; madam Pince, the librarian, came rushing to them asking what the fuss was all about.

'No screaming in the library, children,' she said warningly and raised a finger. Hermione rolled her eyes but didn't say anything as the old lady hurried off again.

'Harry, this is wonderful!' she said, beaming, as though they hadn't been interrupted. 'Why don't you go look for him straight away?' Harry stared at her.

'What, now?' he said sceptically. 'But, I don't know where he is, he might be at a lesson or something and –'

'He's not,' Hermione said calmly. 'I've checked their schedule, his next lesson doesn't start until fifty minutes.'

'Where did you get a schedule for the Slytherins?' Harry asked. 'You didn't steal one, did you?' he said, eyeing her suspiciously.

'No, of course not,' Hermione said, slightly hurt. 'What do you take me for? There's a schedule for every single class in the whole school at the big message board in our common room.'

'Oh,' Harry said, knowing he was defeated. 'Right. Well. I'd best be off then ... and go look for him.'

Hermione smiled at him. 'You go do that,' she said. 'I'll be here in the library.'

Harry nodded and then walked out, hoping he wouldn't have to look all over the school to find the Slytherin.

* * *

'Draco?' a voice said behind him. Draco turned round and saw, to his great surprise, the raven-haired Gryffindor before him. Harry. 

'Yes?' he said suspiciously. 'What is it?' He had noticed that Potter had used his first name, but he didn't say anything about it.

'Well, you know when you asked me ... the other day ... if I wanted to ...' Harry's voice trailed off.

Draco nodded. 'I know. What about it?'

'Well,' Harry said and hesitated before continuing, 'I just wanted to say ... yes.'

Draco's heart started beating fast. Harry said yes?

'What, you mean ...?' he said, not sure he had heard the other boy correctly.

'Yes,' Harry replied. 'I want to be your date ... for the ball ...'

'Well ... alright then ...' Draco breathed. 'Umm ... got to go ... I've got a lesson ...' He looked at Harry for a brief second, then turned round and started walking, quickly; he didn't know where he was heading, all he knew was that he had to get away from Harry. Now.

**_Sep. 6th 1996_**

_He said yes. _

* * *

Don't know about you guys, but I think this chapter turned out quite well :) reviews, please!


	6. 6

_**Chapter six**_

A whole month passed; it was now October and it seemed like the winter would come early; it was piercing cold outside and the snow had already begun to fall.

Harry was sitting in the Gryffindor common room together with Ron and Hermione, doing homework.

'Hey,' he said, 'what's the answer to question 9 b?' Hermione looked at her paper that lay on the table; she had already finished it, and said:

'Unicorn.' Harry wrote it down and was just about to start answering the next question when he heard a picking noise coming from his left. He jerked his head and saw a big, yellow and brown-speckled owl that looked very impressive. Harry went up from his armchair, walked up to the window and opened it. A small envelope was tied to the bird's leg and as Harry took it off, he noticed it was addressed to him. Who could have sent it? Definitely not Sirius, and Ron and Hermione were with him so they had no reason ... Dumbledore perhaps? Although Harry couldn't understand why he'd do that, sending letters to students just like that wasn't usual.

Harry sat back down on his seat and slowly opened the letter. He started reading, and as his face got tomato-red, Ron and Hermione looked at each other, and Hermione asked:

'Who is it from?' Harry looked up so quickly he got cramp in his neck. He massaged it and thought he didn't want to tell them.

'Er ...' he said. Then, just to make sure he hadn't been mistaking, he read through the letter once more.

_Potter_,it said,

_I just thought I'd ask you about the ball. This might come out strange, but how do we arrange this whole thing? Should I wait for you, or should we just meet in the Great Hall ...?_

_Hope you don't regret saying yes._

_D. _

No, I don't regret it, Harry thought. He then gave a twisted smile, looked at Ron and Hermione and said:

'It was from Malfoy.' Ron and Hermione's jaws dropped, and it took a while before they regained their abilities to speak.

'Malfoy?' Hermione said. 'What did he want?'

'Umm,' Harry said, 'he just wanted to ask me where we'd meet at the ball ...'

Ron blushed furiously while Hermione beamed at Harry.

'I don't know about you guys, but I think this whole thing is great!' she said happily. 'Are you going to write him back?'

'Well, I have to, don't I?' Harry said, avoiding looking at Ron, whose face now had gotten slightly greenish. Harry asked Hermione if she had any parchment and a quill, and she nodded and gave it to him.

'Here you go,' she said.

'Thanks,' Harry said and started writing.

_I got your letter, and I suggest we just meet outside the Great Hall. Dumbledore told us the ball started at seven, so I guess 6.50 is a good time to be there. _

_And by the way, I don't regret it one bit. _

_H._

He smiled as he had finished the letter, then got up and told Ron and Hermione he'd go and send it.

Harry walked out the Portrait, quickly walked to the Owlery, looked out for Hedwig and called for her as he spotted her. She flew down towards him.

'Hi,' he said to her. She hooted softly as a reply and Harry tied the letter to her leg.

'Now,' he said, 'this is going to Draco Malfoy, he's in the Slytherin house. Do you think you can get it to him?' Hedwig hooted again and Harry walked up to the opened window. Hedwig flew off and Harry watched her a bit before turning round and then walking back to the common room.

* * *

'Hey, Draco,' someone called. Draco looked up and saw Blaise holding a piece of parchment in his hand. 'You've got a letter here!' Could it be ...? Draco thought and slowly walked up to the other boy. He took the letter from Blaise and read it. A slight smile appeared on his lips, making Blaise look at him questioningly.

'What does it say?' he asked, but Draco didn't answer, just kept on smiling secretively and then went up to the boys' dormitories. Once inside, he put the letter in his trunk, and was just about to lock it when he decided to read the letter again. He did so and suddenly felt his heart beat faster.

'He doesn't regret it one bit,' he sang quietly to himself. He put the letter away and then went down to the common room again.

Together, he and Blaise walked to the Great Hall for lunch. All the way there, Blaise kept asking Draco what had been in the letter, but the silver-blonde boy refused to say anything.

'Oh, come _on_,' Blaise pouted, making Draco laugh. 'I wanna knooow!'

'Sorry, Blaise, can't tell you,' Draco said, smirking. They sat down by the Slytherin-table and were just about to tuck in when suddenly Dumbledore spoke.

'Students,' he said, beaming, 'you all remember the ball I told you about at the start of term, am I correct?' The whole crowd of students said "yes", and Dumbledore continued:

'Well, I forgot to mention the date! And this whole matter didn't occur to me until this very day, apologies for that. So, the date for this event is December 10th, everyone try to remember that. That was all I had to say. You may now continue to eat this delicious meal, although, I _did _in fact notice some people didn't seem to care about an old man's words,' he added with a twinkle towards Crabbe and Goyle, who had already eaten half their plates.

They didn't seem to understand Dumbledore had meant them; they just continued eating like it was their last meal. Draco looked at them, disgusted, and he wondered why he had ever been friends with them. They were completely oblivious to everything around them; all they ever thought about was food, food and food.

But Draco didn't think about this further, instead he ravenously started eating.

**_

* * *

_**

**_Oct. 10th 1996_**

_Today it's exactly two months till the ball takes place. I can't believe it's gone a whole month since I asked Potter ... we haven't talked to each other or anything, but I did send him a letter and asked him if we should meet some place before the ball. And he sure was quick to respond; I didn't have to wait more than half an hour till I got the answer. He told me we should meet at 6.50 outside the Great Hall. Perfect, if you ask me. I'm actually looking forward to it. A lot._

_Hope he feels the same ... But honestly, I just don't understand why I asked him to the ball in the first place! I went through some old diary-notes from the beginning of the term, which was a month ago, and I seemed to have disliked him more than ever before. How could it change so fast?_

_I have no idea; all I know is that I don't mind. And by the looks of it, he doesn't seem to mind that much either. I mean, if he wouldn't want to go with me, he'd say so, right? I can see it before me, Potter and I, waltzing into the Great Hall, proudly, while everyone stares at us. Quite funny, actually. But what if they think ... no, that'd be ridiculous. Because I'm _not_, not in a million years. __Or am I ...?_

* * *

wee.. perhaps not the longest chapter, but I can't sit here anymore cuzI gotta study.. I've got a big test coming up on friday.. yay.. /


	7. 7

_**Chapter seven**_

Harry was sleeping and dreaming. He didn't have any nightmares about Voldemort anymore, much thanks to Professor Snape and his Occlumency-lessons from last year. Harry had finally learnt how to block his mind so that Voldemort couldn't reach it, and he didn't have to worry about seeing him in his dreams anymore. In fact, right now, he was dreaming about a certain Slytherin ...

_He was walking into the Great Hall. As soon as he had entered, heads turned and people stared at him. Actually, people stared at _them_. Him and Draco. They looked really good this evening; Harry didn't wear any glasses, so his beautiful, green eyes were now visible, sparkling like emeralds. _

_His black untidy hair fell into his eyes, and almost every girl giggled at the sight of him. Draco looked amazing, too; his white-blonde hair shone in the moonlight, it almost looked like silver, and his grey-blue eyes looked it too. But it wasn't only their good looks that made people stare; the reason they did so was because Harry and Draco had walked in _together_. They were holding hands, and since people were so used to seeing them fighting, this was a bit of a shock. But the two boys didn't seem to care. Instead, they just walked up to the dance floor, and started dancing to the music. Harry's arms were resting on Draco's shoulders, and Draco held his arms around Harry's waist. Their eyes locked, and as the dance was over, they kissed, smiling at each other. _

Harry sighed blissfully, and a smile appeared on his lips. It was still there as he woke up, but the young boy couldn't remember what he had been dreaming of. All he knew was that it had been a very pleasant dream, very pleasant indeed.

* * *

Draco was awoken abruptly.

'Draco!' someone said and shook him. 'Draco, time to get up ...' Draco's eyes slowly opened, and he saw Blaise standing above him, smiling broadly.

'Good morning!' he said cheerfully. Draco grunted.

'Seriously, you have to get up. Lessons start in -' he checked his wristwatch, '- exactly thirty minutes ... so, if you want to have some breakfast, you'd better hurry.' Draco groaned.

'Fine,' he said and threw the blankets off. Blaise stared at his half-naked body.

'What?' Draco snapped, making Blaise blush.

'Nothing,' he murmured and turned away. 'I'll wait downstairs.' He walked out, leaving Draco alone. Slowly, Draco got up and dressed himself.

When finished, he went down to the common room. Blaise stood there, waiting for him, like he'd said. He was still blushing.

'Shall we go, then?' Draco asked softly. Blaise nodded.

They ate quickly, went to their lessons and the day continued like usual. Draco had Quidditch this day, and he was looking forward to it. He knew the Gryffindors had practice the same time as the Slytherins, so this way, he'd get to see Harry.

And indeed, as he and the rest of the Slytherin-team had changed into Quidditch-robes, they walked out on the pitch and immediately saw the Gryffindors.

Harry stood there, giving his team instructions. He was the captain of the team now; Angelina Johnson was two years older so she had left the school.

Draco watched him as he waved his hands and told them what to do; he looked incredibly beautiful. And all of a sudden, he turned his head, and looked straight into Draco's eyes, making the Slytherin shiver. Draco was unsure of what to do; were they suddenly friends now, or did he have to say something rude? He got the answer almost straight away, as Harry waved at him and smiled.

Oh my god, Draco thought. _Oh my fucking god!_

He waved back and smiled vaguely. Harry turned to his teammates, and so did Draco.

'Alright,' he said and started explaining how they were going to fly. A young Slytherin-boy raised his hand. Draco pointed at him and said, 'Yes?'

'Well, I was just wondering, how are we going to be able to fly when the Gryffindors are here?'

The rest of the team looked at Draco, who thought about this matter. The boy had asked a good question ... how _were _they going to fly?

'I shall have to talk about this with Ha ... uh, Potter,' he said, correcting himself. The others looked at him curiously, and he walked over to the other boy.

'Um, Potter?' he said hesitantly and tapped him on the shoulder. The Gryffindor turned around.

'Oh!' he said and blushed at the sight of Draco. 'Yes?'

'Well, um, here's the thing ... um, how are we going to decide which one gets the pitch? I mean, we can't very well fly at the same time, right?' Draco said quickly.

'Er ...' said Harry. 'Actually, why not? We could play against each other; it would be good for training. The next Quidditch-match is up next week, and it's Gryffindor versus Slytherin ...'

Draco smiled and nodded.

'Okay,' he said and went back to his team. 'Alright,' he said, 'we've solved this whole issue. We're going to play against each other. Just for training, of course,' he added.

The team seemed to like this idea; they smiled at each other and together, they gathered their brooms and started playing.

Soon, both teams were soaring up in the air, throwing the Quaffles to each other. The beaters hit the Bludgers, and Draco was looking for the Snitch. Suddenly, he caught sight of it, right under the other Seeker's leg. He zoomed towards the other boy, not paying attention to anything but the Snitch. At last, Harry noticed Draco flying real fast, so he looked down and saw the little golden thing, floating beneath him. Just as he was about to catch it, it disappeared. But Harry had great reflexes, so he just flew after it. He couldn't see Draco but assumed he had changed course as well.

The Slytherin had indeed done that; he was flying right behind the other boy, trying to overtake him, but it didn't work out that well. Harry's Firebolt could fly faster than his own Nimbus 2001.

But suddenly, Harry stopped in front of him and raised his hand. Draco wasn't prepared for this, so he crashed right into Harry, and both of them fell to the ground. Luckily, they weren't that high up in the sky, only about three metres. And Draco also winded up on top of Harry, which moderated the fall. For him, that is.

'Ouch,' Harry moaned, and grinned at the same time. 'Hey, it looks like I caught the Snitch!' He held up the Snitch, which struggled against his fingers, trying to set itself loose.

Draco laughed. 'Yeah, it does,' he said. Usually, he would've been angry because he had lost, but this time, since it was just practice, he only laughed it off. Maybe it wasn't _only _the fact that it was just practice, but Draco told himself so. And suddenly, he realised he was actually lying on top of the other boy, so he slowly got up and said, 'Well, thanks for a great game, then.' He held out his hand, offering to help the other boy up. Harry took it and replied, 'You're welcome.'

And for a while, they just stood there, looking at each other. Suddenly, Harry got closer. He was so close that Draco would have touched his mouth had he put his tongue out.

Draco was _sure _Harry was about to kiss him when they heard someone call Harry's name. It was Ron.

'Harry! Harry, are you alright?' he said, running towards them. He stopped and looked at them with a puzzled expression on his face. 'Has something happened?' he asked suspiciously.

'No,' said Harry in a casual tone. But Draco knew he was lying; something had most definitely happened. And as Harry walked up to the castle together with his team, Draco cursed under his breath.

'Dammit,' he said. 'I was so close ...'

That night, he once again dreamt about Harry. In the dream, they were kissing each other, and as Draco woke up next day, he could only wish it would happen for real.

* * *

So, did you like it:P please review and tell me exactly what you thought of it.. i need it, otherwise i'll wind up not finishing it.. so.. REVIEWS! 


	8. 8

_**Chapter eight**_

Three days passed and it was now time for the Quidditch-match, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Harry was really nervous; as he, Ron and Hermione were in the Great Hall, eating breakfast, Harry tried to eat but found it was impossible. Several times, he looked over his shoulder to see Draco, and every time, the other boy looked back.

When they had finished, they got outside. Harry and Ron said 'Good bye' to and Hermione, and walked over to the other Gryffindors in their team. They changed into their Quidditch-robes, Harry gave them instructions and finally, the match could start.

Ron was now one of the Chasers, and this suited him much better. He scored several times and Harry was real proud of him. But he couldn't think too much about this; he had to look out for the Snitch. He really tried to focus but found it hard; his eyes somehow wandered off and Harry found himself staring at Draco, who didn't seem to notice it.

But that was only what Harry thought, because Draco actually looked at him several times, too, their eyes just never met.

'And Gryffindor scores again! 60-40 to Gryffindor!' the commentator, a young Hufflepuff, screamed. Harry immediately looked at Draco and grinned.

'We're gonna win,' he mouthed, making the other boy smirk.

'Oh yeah?' Draco said. 'We'll see about that.'

And suddenly, the Slytherin dived. Harry wasn't prepared for this but quickly recovered; he hurried after the other boy and was right behind him when he caught a glimpse of the Snitch.

'Come on,' he urged on his broom. 'Faster!'

But it didn't help. For the first time in both Harry and Draco's lives, Slytherin defeated Gryffindor as Draco triumphantly raised his hand, holding the Golden Snitch with a firm grip.

'And Slytherin wins!' screamed the commentator, obviously chocked. 'With 30 points, for the first time since Harry Potter joined the team, Slytherin beats Gryffindor ... ruddy unbelievable.'

'YES!' Draco roared and his teammates ran towards him, screaming with happiness. 'We won! We won!' He kept yelling this until his voice was hoarse, then he stopped and just beamed.

This was without doubt one of the best moments in his whole life; boy, would his father be proud of him. Although, as he glanced at Harry, he couldn't help but feeling sorry for him; he looked so upset Draco would do anything to go over there and comfort him. But he couldn't, because Ron and Hermione were after all his best friends and they'd comfort him, so Harry didn't need Draco.

So, instead, Draco walked up to the castle together with the rest of the Slytherins, and all the way up there they roared and sang about their victory.

The rest of the day was spent in absolute bliss; Draco walked around Hogwarts with a big grin in his face and so did his fellow Slytherins. It was now time for Potions and Draco couldn't wait to hear Professor Snape praise him for the great game. And indeed, as he sat down in the classroom, his teacher immediately walked up to him.

'Draco!' he said, trying not to look too happy but failing. A big smile showed up on his lips and he continued: 'Congratulations! The game was absolutely fantastic. It's about time you show that ruddy Potter ...' Draco bit his lip and smiled at the same time.

'Thank you, sir,' he said. Professor Snape nodded and started the lesson by saying:

'Students. I can only hope the Gryffindors won't screw up today as much as usual, since we're handling real difficult potions, but seeing the great Harry Potter failed to catch the Snitch, I guess it's too much to ask for.'

Behind him sat Harry, and Draco couldn't help but turning around; he did so and noticed Harry was red in his face with anger.

Harry looked back and his expression changed. He gave a courageous smile, making Draco's heart flicker. He returned the smile and then turned back to Professor Snape, who was going on about some new Potion. Draco didn't pay attention that well.

* * *

When all lessons were finished, Harry, Ron and Hermione went back to the common room. Harry was thinking about the Quidditch-practice the other day. Draco had lain on top of him. It had undeniably felt good. Yes, his body was so soft and warm ... _Hey, stop it!_ Don't go there, Harry told himself. My god, Harry, what are you doing! You did _not _like it when he lay on top of you ...

_Liar._

I'm not lying! Just because we're going to the ball together, doesn't mean I _like _him. I _might_ like him some time, you know, when Hell freezes over and –

_So why did you agree to be his date?_

Because ...! Hermione forced me!

_Oh come on, Harry, that was lame. You said 'yes', because somewhere in that wicked mind of yours, you actually thought you and Draco might be friends. And, because, you like his ..._

STOP IT!

Harry slapped his face, making Ron and Hermione stare at him.

'Harry, what are you doing?' Hermione asked.

'Umm ... nothing,' Harry said, 'it was a ... a bee. And I thought I'd ... you know ... smash it.'

He smiled sheepishly and continued quickly, 'Hey, I think I'll just go for a walk. I'm not feeling particularly tired, and I need to think about ... uh, the Quidditch-match,' he lied quickly. The truth was, he wasn't going to think about Quidditch. Well, perhaps Draco in his tight Quidditch-robes ...

'Um, okay,' Hermione replied. 'We'll see you later then.' Harry nodded, and walked out the Portrait.

He didn't know where he was going, but he just couldn't stay in the common room. It was so warm, and crowded, and Harry didn't like it. Ron and Hermione had no idea he was actually thinking about Draco ... Hermione probably thinks I just want to be his friend, Harry thought and laughed bitterly. He was now walking outside, feeling the cold air sweeping against his cheeks. It felt nice. He was so into his thoughts, and suddenly, he bumped into something.

'Ouch!' he exclaimed and looked up. 'Oh ...!' It was Draco.

'Sorry,' Draco said, 'didn't mean to ... um, are you alright?' Harry nodded.

'And you?' he asked.

'I'm fine.' They stood silent for a while, and then spoke at the same time.

'So, what are you ...'

'I was wondering ...' They laughed, and Harry said:

'You go first.'

'Oh, it was nothing, really, I just ...' Draco looked nervous. 'Well ... you know, we're going to the ball and everything, and ... how's it going to be afterwards?'

Harry didn't know what to say; he had been asking himself this a hundred times so he couldn't possibly answer.

'Er ... I don't know,' he said truthfully. 'I mean, we won't be best friends, I know that, but ... maybe ... we could try and just forget what's been going on between us. You know?' he added hesitantly.

'Yes,' Draco said eagerly and smiled. 'I know what you mean, it's exactly how I thought too.'

'Really?' said Harry and got closer.

'Yes,' Draco repeated. They were really close now ... Should I kiss him? Draco thought. Yes, I think that would be appropriate.

Their lips met. This must be heaven, Harry thought. In his fifth year, Cho Chang had kissed him. But only just barely, she was crying at the same time and it wasn't any good. This, on the other hand ...

'Mmm,' Draco mumbled. 'Potter ...' Harry didn't know how, but suddenly, Draco's tongue was in his mouth. At first, Harry was a bit surprised and let out an 'Mmpf!' of shock.

But soon, he welcomed Draco's tongue; he opened his mouth just a bit more, put out his own tongue and let them struggle ... it felt good. _Really_ good, actually.

But eventually, they had to broke apart for air.

'Wow!' Draco breathed. 'Potter, that was ...' Harry could only nod.

_It was great. _

****

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**_OH MY GOD! _**sorry about the late update.. but honestly, this chapter sucked. Biiig time. but you know, a certain person (don't remember her name) wanted to have some action, and so I gave you some action.. omg, it was so cheeeeezy.. urgh! This story is really.. I dunno what to say, haha :) but you guys seem to like it so.. anywayza.. REVIEWS!


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